Former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director Christopher Wray signed off on the FBI’s sweeping investigation into President Trump and the broader GOP’s role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) released records Thursday showing Garland, Wray, and former Deputy AG Lisa Monaco personally authorized the FBI’s sweeping “Arctic Frost” investigation in April 2022. The authorization came in the form of personal signatures on a memo meant for Garland to review prior to launching the investigation.
“Today, we handed over important documentation showing weaponization and politicization at the highest levels of government,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement posted on X.
“We’re proud to work with Chairman Grassley and Senator Johnson on this critical oversight to restore one tier of justice and the transparency the American people deserve. Arctic Frost was a stain on this country. That weaponization ends under this FBI.”
The records are the latest documents Grassley has released containing details about the scope of the investigation. He previously released records indicating the FBI targeted the phone records and communications of eight GOP senators and a Republican congressman from January 4-7, 2021.
Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) was the ninth senator ensnared in the investigation, Axios reported earlier this week. Grassley continues to conduct oversight to learn more about the scope of “Arctic Frost.” He has said the investigation’s activities were “arguably worse than Watergate” because members of Congress were targeted.
Several of the GOP lawmakers targeted promoted falsehoods about the 2020 election being stolen. In total, “Arctic Frost” targeted 92 Republican organizations and GOP-affiliated operatives, including the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA.
The FBI fired personnel and disbanded the unit inside the bureau’s Washington field office that was responsible for carrying out the investigation, Patel said earlier this month. Republican lawmakers have called for further investigation and potential criminal prosecutions for the people behind the investigation.
“They tracked the communications of GOP Senators. They weaponized law enforcement against the American people. That era is over. We fired those who acted unethically, dismantled the corrupt CR-15 squad, and launched an investigation. Transparency and accountability aren’t slogans, they’re promises kept,” Patel said.
The Biden Justice Department approved the investigation based on evidence showing individuals connected to Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election results. A good portion of the evidence appears to be news reports and open-source information.
Biden defeated Trump narrowly in 2020 and Trump subsequently pushed false claims that the election was stolen from him. Those falsehoods inspired the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The DOJ memo acknowledged the possibility its investigation could interfere with democratic processes if it became public knowledge before an election.
“Although members of the 45th Presidential administration are no longer in office, the DOJ Memo states that the scope of this policy should be broadly construed to ensure that Department leadership is made aware of the opening of matters that could potentially be disruptive to the democratic process if publicly disclosed prior to an election,” the document warns.
The “Arctic Frost” investigation morphed into former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump in Washington, D.C., for his role in the Capitol riot. Smith’s D.C. case ran into legal setbacks and led to the Supreme Court’s decision granting the president criminal immunity for official acts.
After Trump won the 2024 election, Smith folded the D.C. case and his classified-documents case against Trump in Florida. Smith resigned before Trump had the chance to fire him. Neither case made it to trial.
Trump routinely accused Smith of weaponizing the Justice Department against him on Biden’s behalf. The Smith cases occurred during Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign against former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Smith’s attorneys have defended his decision to obtain the phone records of Republican senators as lawful and within the scope of Justice Department policy. Smith’s investigation specifically investigated toll records, which track call activity but do not encompass the contents of the calls.
Republicans in the House are seeking testimony from Smith to discuss his Trump cases now that they are closed. Smith responded Thursday with an offer to testify publicly for what would be an explosive hearing.